Chapter 226: Final Decision
In the evening, Gan Ning had just returned to the mansion. He picked up the tea that Xiao Qiao had brewed for him in the study when Xu Wei hurriedly arrived, holding a long box in her hand.
“What is that?” Gan Ning looked at the long box and asked.
“Guess, husband?”
Gan Ning’s heart stirred, “Could it be—”
Xu Wei placed the long box on the table and opened it. Inside was indeed the monocular telescope he had long anticipated.
Gan Ning was overjoyed. He picked up the telescope and examined it closely. It was made of qinggang wood, with a hefty solid wood casing about a foot long. The craftsmanship and polishing were extremely exquisite. The greatest advantage of this wood was that it was not prone to deformation.
There were three slots dug at the front end and three at the rear end, making it convenient to insert the convex lenses. Copper strips were fitted over the slots to prevent the lenses from falling out.
Gan Ning raised the Thousand-Mile Eye and looked closely. The eaves dozens of feet away were indeed as close as if within reach, every detail vivid and clear. By eye, it had about ten times magnification.
Of course, the monocular telescope in Gan Ning’s hand could only be considered a child’s toy in later generations, but in the Three Kingdoms Period, this was a earth-shattering divine artifact.
Xu Wei said somewhat uneasily, “Husband, I made three in total!”
“Three?”
Gan Ning asked puzzledly, “The lenses of the other two have different thicknesses. How did you calibrate the lens distance?”
“Just as you said, husband. I first made a paper tube myself to determine the distance, then I drew the blueprints and handed them to the artisans to make the casing, and then I assembled them myself.”
“Very clever!”
Gan Ning sincerely praised her. Xu Wei was indeed the smartest woman he had ever seen, fully comparable to some skilled artisans.
“Give me the other two as well and keep them here with me. You can take them if you want to play, but you must not let outsiders see them or touch them.”
“Don’t worry, husband! We know better.”
Xu Wei stood up and walked out. “I’ll go get them right now.”
As soon as Xu Wei left, Xiao Qiao came holding a folder. This was a long folder folded eight times, used as official paper documents, gradually replacing scrolls.
“Husband, the butler delivered it, saying it was sent by Sima Bu. The person has already left.”
“Bu Zhi?”
Gan Ning laughed. So impatient, couldn’t he wait until tomorrow?
Gan Ning took the folder and examined it closely. The ink on the cover had not yet dried, with 《Ping Nan Strategy》 written on it.
The entire folder contained nearly ten thousand words, written by Bu Zhi in one afternoon. It seemed he had long been prepared. Gan Ning flipped through it and saw not a single word corrected. Gan Ning immediately understood: Bu Zhi had finished the draft long ago and copied it anew for him.
Bu Zhi wrote extremely thoroughly, with sharp logic and clear viewpoints: first capture Jiaozhou, then govern it slowly, advancing steadily.
As Gan Ning read, he became completely engrossed, ignoring Xiao Qiao by his side. He didn’t even notice when Xu Wei brought the other two in wooden boxes.
Seeing her husband fully focused on the folder, Xu Wei gently pulled Xiao Qiao, who reluctantly followed Xu Wei out.
Gan Ning finished reading Bu Zhi’s 《Ping Nan Strategy》 in one go, then involuntarily put down the folder and paced to the window with hands behind his back.
Bu Zhi’s ideas completely matched his own: proceed along the Xiang River to Lingling Commandery, then turn to the Ling Canal and Li River to Shi’an County, using Shi’an County as the logistical base, advancing southward along it, and reaching Guangxin County, the seat of Cangwu Commandery, upon entering the Yu River—that is, Zhang Jin’s lair in modern Wuzhou.
The most ingenious point was that Shi’an County was within the territory of Lingling Commandery, so no matter how they prepared for war in Shi’an County, Zhang Jin could not interfere.
However, Gan Ning felt that the information revealed in Bu Zhi’s report was profound and extensive. Even how many sons Zhang Jin had and the situation of each son were described in detail. This was not something that could be obtained just by sending people to inquire.
Gan Ning thought he needed to have a good talk with Bu Zhi tomorrow.
The next morning, when Gan Ning arrived at the official residence, he said to Ma Liang, “Go invite Sima Bu!”
Shortly after, Bu Zhi hurriedly entered the official residence, bowed, and saluted, “Greetings, Marquis of Chu!”
Gan Ning picked up the folder and smiled, “I carefully read Sima Bu’s folder last night. It was written very profoundly, and many ideas coincide with mine, but I have one question. Much of the content is quite in-depth, and I don’t quite understand its source. Could it be that Xu Jing told you?”
Bu Zhi smiled faintly, “I knew the Marquis of Chu would have this doubt, so I planned to explain it to you today. In fact, most of the intelligence here comes from Jiangdong.”
“Jiangdong?”
Gan Ning was stunned. “Jiangdong also wants to capture Jiaozhou?”
Bu Zhi said unhurriedly, “Jiangdong initially wanted to capture Nanhai Commandery, but later the Marquis of Wu’s ambitions grew, and he wanted to take the entire Jiaozhou. Starting from the beginning of Jian’an seven, I led the effort, arranging a large number of scouts to collect intelligence in Jiaozhou. We originally planned to launch a war against Nanhai Commandery last year, but Sun Ben’s southern invasion disrupted the plan. Later I left Jiangdong, and the Jiaozhou plan came to nothing.”
Gan Ning asked somewhat puzzledly, “No one took over the various survey information left by Sima Bu?”
Bu Zhi shook his head. “All the information was in my official residence. I only took what I wrote myself. The various intelligence materials were in the official residence. My several subordinates, fearing implication by me, set fire to my official residence, burning a large amount of materials—not only Jiaozhou materials, but also intelligence on Jiujiang Commandery and Danyang Commandery.”
“That must be a major loss for Jiangdong!”
Bu Zhi shook his head. “Jiangdong’s real loss is not these intelligence resources, but internal division. Having lost the vigor of Sun Ce’s era and with internal divisions, facing a lord extremely suspicious and ruthless, Jiangdong will have no more opportunities.”
Gan Ning was temporarily not interested in Jiangdong; his mind was still on Jiaozhou.
“For attacking Jiaozhou, grain and supplies can use the reserves in Linxiang County. The fleet in Changsha Commandery also has some, but for the army, what does Sima Bu require?”
Bu Zhi thought for a moment and said, “An army lies in quality, not quantity. Three thousand men under me would suffice, but I hope it is the armies of General Zhao Yun and General Taishi Ci.”
Gan Ning gladly agreed and asked again, “What special supplies are needed?”
“Also medicinal materials and donkeys. I must prepare sufficient march powder, march plasters, and poisonous insect medicine.”
The three medicines Bu Zhi mentioned were all essential drugs for marching and fighting in southern tropical jungles, effectively preventing various diseases caused by high temperature and humidity, as well as mosquito and viper attacks.
Gan Ning nodded. “Medicinal materials are no problem. Donkeys are a great idea. We raise donkeys precisely for conquering the southern mountains, and our donkeys are Sichuan donkeys, which can carry heavy loads, have strong adaptability, can handle various terrains, survive easily, and will greatly help the soldiers. I will arrange for each soldier to carry one donkey, which will bring them great convenience.”
After finalizing the mobilization details with Bu Zhi, Gan Ning immediately summoned Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci. Upon hearing they were to expedition to Jiaozhou, both were very excited, eager to set off tomorrow.
Three days later, Bu Zhi was appointed by Gan Ning as Inspector General of the Middle Army and Grand Governor of the Southern Expedition. Though temporary positions, they granted military power, allowing him to lead troops legitimately.
Bu Zhi led the thirty thousand army of Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci, grandly marching toward Linxiang County, beginning the Jiaozhou campaign.
